Checked luggage fees are starting to feel like ATM fees. First there were none (we were happy), then there were some (we were outraged), then there were more (we began to accept them) and now, nearly all airlines charge for checked luggage (and we’ve resigned).

This month, a number of airlines have announced increases in checked luggage fees. The most recent company to do so is United Airlines, which will now be charging $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second checked bag. (Discounts are available for bags checked in online, which gives thrifty consumers at least one option to save money.) United Airlines’ new rates are a $5 increase from its previous rates. The company followed suit after Delta and Continental raised rates earlier this month.

However, two companies are standing by their business plans and have not yet charged for checked bags. And both seem adamant that they won’t charge for checked baggage anytime in the future…

Southwest Airlines continues to “go against the grain” with its long-standing practice of allowing a traveler’s first two bags to fly free. In addition to using commercials and its website to promote this “bags fly free” philosophy, the company has used marketing emails to remind travelers that flying with Southwest Airlines could save them money.

JetBlue is another company that has not mimicked the competition with checked bag fees. JetBlue does not charge passengers for the first checked bag, nor does the company seem to have any intention of doing so in the future.

Have baggage fees deterred you from booking a flight or encouraged you to look at another airline for a better option? I believe that these fees could definitely impact flier’s decisions as to which airlines to take. I’m curious if a bag fee is a “big enough piece of the pie” to have an impact.

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